- 1 a long narrow line of colour, that is a different colour from the areas next to it a zebra’s black and white stripes a white tablecloth with red stripes see also pinstripe, Stars and Stripes Wordfinderpatternband, check, dot, fleck, pattern, speckle, splash, spot, streak, stripe Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectivebroad, wide, narrow, … stripe + verbrun prepositionwith stripes, stripe across, stripe down, … See full entry
- 2a narrow piece of cloth, often in the shape of a V, that is worn on the uniform of a soldier or police officer to show their rank a uniform with a sergeant’s stripes on the sleeve
- 3(especially North American English) a type, category or opinion politicians of every stripe commentators of all political stripes She's an educator of a very different stripe. They are not all of one stripe. Oxford Collocations Dictionary adjectiveideological, political, all, … prepositionof… stripe See full entry Word Originlate Middle English: perhaps a back-formation from striped, of Dutch or Low German origin; compare with Middle Dutch and Middle Low German strīpe.Extra examples Politicians of every stripe have demonstrated a thirst for power. The butterfly is black and white with a blue stripe running down each wing. The toad has a distinctive yellow stripe down its back. He was wearing a grey shirt with white stripes. Why does the zebra have black and white stripes?Idioms
(informal) to get a position or reputation you deserve through work or achievements If you want to earn your stripes in journalism, you need to start at the bottom. With elite football, you really do have to earn your stripes.
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